ESRIC Laboratory awarded LEAF Bronze Certification
The Edinburgh Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium (ESRIC) laboratory has become the first at Heriot-Watt to gain certification through the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework, a 3 tier award that can be sequentially progressed through to demonstrate the adoption of sustainability measures in standard laboratory operations. ESRIC provides state of the art microscopy and expertise across a broad range of scientific disciplines. The laboratory facilities are available to both Heriot-Watt University researchers and external research organisations, providing remote access to specialist equipment, removing the need for unnecessary travel and associated expense.
With a deeply collaborative focus and an aim to educate both researchers and the general public through the provision of summer schools and outreach events, ESRIC’s engagement with and successful completion of LEAF has provided an ideal case study on how to record and embed sustainability into standard practice.
We're proud that ESRIC is leading the way in sustainable lab practices at Heriot-Watt, reducing the environmental impact of research while continuing to support world-class science with our cutting-edge microscopy techniques. This is just the first step — we’re excited to keep building on this foundation and to share what we’ve learnt with the wider research community.
The development of and support from a team of laboratory-based staff from across Heriot-Watt has been fundamental in enabling this important first step in recognising the efforts of laboratory researchers to address the inherent environmental impact of the research process itself. Thanks go out to the many individuals who have given their time to advocate for adoption and recognition of sustainability measures in the research process, and of course to the ESRIC laboratory for their efforts to gain this official certification from LEAF.
Laboratory-based research is essential for advancing humanity’s understanding of the world and enabling evidence-based decisions to be made, which can feel counter to the fact that research facilities can be extremely energy and resource intensive. Standard’s set by initiatives like LEAF enable tangible steps to reducing the environmental impact of research without compromising research quality and safety.
If you are a laboratory-based staff member who would like to engage with LEAF, please do reach out to the Heriot-Watt Sustainability team by emailing SustainableHWU@hw.ac.uk